Quan Le Fang

Quan Le Fang

Located in the core area of Jinan, Quan Le Fang is a lakeside commercial street that connects Daming Lake and Quancheng Road. The gentle streams within the project link numerous flagship stores, bustling shops, and unique attractions, allowing visitors to enjoy shopping while also taking in the emerald lakes, green hills, meandering waters, and the rich cultural heritage and long history of this ancient commercial street in Jinan.

The entire project integrates shopping, tourism, dining and entertainment, and creative LOFTs, with nearly a thousand planned shops. It aims to become a people-oriented, fashionable, and prosperous experiential commercial center where business and nature are in perfect harmony. It will create a vibrant new district in Jinan, breathing new life into the millennia-old commercial legacy of Xianxi Lane.

Situated along the axis between Thousand Buddha Mountain and Daming Lake, Quan Le Fang offers a southern view of the Buddhist temples and lush pines of Thousand Buddha Mountain, perfectly embodying the concept of “green mountains extending into the city.” To the north, the Daming Lake Scenic Area is set to expand, transforming from a “lake within a garden” to a “lake within the city,” resembling the shores of West Lake. Visitors will not only be able to admire the unique Jinan sight of the “reflection of Thousand Buddha Mountain,” but also enjoy scenic views akin to “Magpie and Huayang in Mist,” “Autumn Wind at Lixia,” and “Evening Glow at Hui Bo.”

Despite the passage of time, the Xianxi Lane area where Quan Le Fang is located still retains several precious springs that flow year-round, vividly showcasing Jinan’s reputation as a “city of springs in every household.” Among them, the Central Spring, Ruler Spring, and Yong’an Spring are listed among Jinan’s seventy-two famous springs. The Ruler Spring is even known as an underground water level “monitor”—when its water rises to a specific level on the bricks lining the well, all four major spring groups in Jinan begin to gush.

To the west of Quan Le Fang lies the renowned Pearl Spring and the traditional historical district of Qushuiting Street. This area represents the essence of Jinan’s distinctive landscape belt and is the place that the late Qing writer Lao Can praised as “more interesting than the scenery of the Jiangnan region.” The winding alleys are deep and serene, with murmuring streams flowing through the lanes and residences. There are shaded pathways, quaint pavilions, high-walled government offices, and solemn churches. During the Qing Dynasty, Zheng Banqiao left behind popular verses describing “three thatched cottages, two small bridges, and several weeping willows.”

In addition to being close to Pearl Spring, the other three major spring groups in Jinan—Baotu Spring, Black Tiger Spring, and Five Dragon Pool—are all within a 15-minute walk from Quan Le Fang. Other distinctive landscapes such as the Moat and Quancheng Square are located to the south of the project, together forming the central area of Jinan’s characteristic natural scenery.

Beneath the Jiu Hua Tower, stories of the past come alive. Over two thousand years ago, the Qin Dynasty established Licheng County. During the Western Jin Dynasty’s Yongjia era, the administrative center of Jinan Prefecture was moved to the current old city area. Over the centuries of change, a profound historical and cultural legacy has been formed. As an important lane in the old city area, Xianxi Lane—where Quan Le Fang is located—got its name from being west of the Licheng County government office. It was a key part of the political, economic, and cultural center of the ancient city, witnessing the historical development of Jinan and carrying a rich cultural heritage, leaving behind numerous historical evidences.

Xianxi Lane currently houses multiple religious sites. Among them, the Guan Yu Temple is regarded as the city’s God of Wealth Temple, built during the Song Dynasty. The Wanshou Palace was originally a Taoist temple and was converted into the Jiangxi Guild Hall during the Qing Dynasty, once ranking as the foremost of Jinan’s ten major guild halls. The Fuhui Chanlin is said to date back to the Tang Dynasty, with its well-preserved glazed tiles revealing its former splendor. The bell tower base near Daming Lake is part of the original Bell Tower Temple, and the large bell upstairs, cast during the Jin Dynasty, is known as the “Number One Bell of Qilu.” Recent archaeological work in Xianxi Lane has also uncovered exquisite Northern Dynasties standing Bodhisattva statues, a Song Dynasty underground palace, and the ruins of the Tang Dynasty Kaiyuan Temple, among other religious relics.

Xianxi Lane preserves several distinctive clusters of ancient architecture. No. 8 Xinglongdian Street is home to the most exquisitely carved and highest-quality residence still existing in Jinan. Despite the vicissitudes of time, its charm remains, with several old pomegranate trees resembling giant potted plants, along with rice pestles, adding to the authentic old Jinan ambiance. Nearby, there is also a century-old embroidery building, a typical structure reflecting old social norms. In terms of both the quantity and technique of carvings, it is considered the finest among Jinan’s ancient residential buildings.

Among the old businesses in Xianxi Lane that people love to talk about today, the most notable is the Jiuhua Tower Restaurant, one of the birthplaces of Shandong cuisine. Its signature dish, “Nine-Turned Intestines,” remains one of the representative dishes of Shandong cuisine. Opposite it was the famous Tahe Pavilion, a traditional Chinese medicine shop from the Qing Dynasty. The Tahe Stele, which records the management philosophy of Tahe Pavilion, is still intact. The legendary stories of Tahe Pavilion’s philanthropy continue to be passed down.

Drawing inspiration from the past to create a new future, the project delights visitors. International master architects have combined Jinan’s traditional characteristics with modern design concepts, leveraging Quan Le Fang’s prime location by the lake and city. They have applied the rhythm of Chinese classical music to the architecture, creating an elegant, joyful, and richly varied architectural silhouette. This makes the buildings here a true fusion of tradition and modernity, a “frozen symphony.”

The first phase of Quan Le Fang, now completed, draws on traditional Jinan architectural and garden techniques. It features a unique transportation system composed of waterside alleys, winding corridor bridges, and sunlit streets, forming a playful and intriguing architectural space. The various forms and delightful springs are connected into distinctive tourist attractions, allowing visitors to experience unexpected surprises akin to “finding a bright flower after passing through willows,” fully embodying the Jinan style of “springs flowing between alleys and residences.” The Kaiyuan Temple ruins in the middle section of the block serve as a vivid cultural landmark, further enriching the area’s cultural significance. With elaborate lighting design, Quan Le Fang transforms into a golden and silver pavilion wonderland of jade trees and crystal branches at night, with dazzling lights adding to its colorful and captivating charm.

The commercial positioning of Quan Le Fang is a new type of experiential commercial center that integrates tourism, shopping, dining and entertainment, and creative studios. It aims not only to be a paradise for food, shopping, and tourism, but also to create more surprising experiences for visitors and consumers through a variety of artistic and commercial events such as weekend concerts, holiday celebrations, celebrity meet-and-greets, and product sales.

In the next phase of construction, we plan to restore ancient buildings and historical sites such as Fuhui Chan Temple and Jiuhua Tower, revive the incense offerings at the God of Wealth Temple, rebuild the old theater into a cultural performing arts venue, and recreate the lively scenes of Jinan’s traditional arts and performances by the lake and springs. This will make the area a vivid textbook for understanding Jinan’s historical, cultural, and natural characteristics, as well as an unforgettable experiential commercial center for the public.